The Legend of Zelda - Mirror Image
by ThunderStrike
Summary: Set 7 years after Oot. Ganondorfs breaking down the sages barrier, Dark Link is on Link's case and Link gets more than he bargains for in a mystery assailant... Chapter 6 is up! Only one chapter to go!
1. Mirror Image - Part 1

Link gripped the hilt of his sword, still resting in its scabbard, but ready for use at a split seconds notice. He breathed in, then out. A single shuffling noise from behind him reached his ears, and in an instant the sword had been drawn, he had spun on the spot and driven it into the chest of the stalfos that had been trying to sneak up on him. It would take more than that to stop a stalfos, a skeletal warrior, since there wasn't a whole lot inside its chest. Link took advantage of its stunned state by planting his left foot in its ribcage and forcing it off his sword. It staggered back into one of the dungeons support pillars, and Link followed up with a diagonal slash that went from its right shoulder down through its spine. Its upper torso slid to the floor, and its legs collapsed allowing Link to see the damage he had inadvertently dealt to the support pillar. Not good. As the chamber started to shake, he knew he could not leave yet, he had not found what he had come for. He turned and ran for the crypt at the end of the room. As he did so, more stalfos hauled themselves from their resting-places. He ducked past one, avoiding the arc of its sword, and jammed his own into its spinal column. As the other tried to bring its blade down on his head, he quickly stabbed upwards, through its ribcage and neck. The others were too far away to be of consequence. The rooms remaining pillars began to crack and give way, but Link had reached the crypt. He heaved off the great stone tablet covering it, and snatched the sceptre from the skeletal remains of Abdullah al Farad, a long dead rich man. Only a few pillars were left standing. Link reached for the hookshot on his belt, a grappling hook of sorts, and fired it at the entrance of the dungeon. A dull chinking sound was emitted and the chain was whipped back into the chamber of the hookshot. It had fallen short. He cursed and broke into a sprint for the exit. He went into a roll past a stalfos that blocked his way as the roof began to fall in. Nearly in range, nearly, ...now! He dived and fired the hookshot, latching on to a gnarled tree root he had had to dig past to get in. Link was pulled through the air like an arrow with the cavern collapsing around him, he slammed headfirst into the wall by the small sloping tunnel he had dug. Without pause for thought he leapt for the ledge at the top, arms, hands and fingers all stretched to the limit, and just managed to grasp it. With a surge of strength only possible for one on the verge of certain death whose system contains more adrenaline than blood, he hauled himself out of the tunnel and on to the soft grass of the Kakariko graveyard.   
  
As he lay, gasping for breath, a figure leaned over him.  
  
"Did you get it?" the figure croaked.  
"Yeah Dampe, I got your damn sceptre." He held up the object for Dampe the gravekeepers approval. The old man took it, turned it over in his hands, scrutinising it closely.   
"Splendid, splendid..."  
"I try my best."  
"I was talking about the sceptre, not your shoddy retrieval of it, do you know you nearly caved in half the graveyard? And if..."  
Link sighed. He had heard it all before. Still, the money was good, 100 rupees per successful retrieval of whatever Dampe though was stashed in whatever tomb, and Dampe could moan as much as he liked, he would never find anyone else reckless enough to do this job. Or bored for that matter. It had been nearly seven years now, seven years since his great adventure, since he banished Ganondorf to the sacred realm, and closed the door to that timeline, erasing it. None of it existed anymore, save for in the memories of himself and Princess Zelda. What had been a dark twisted future was being overwritten by a golden era, peaceful and benign. And boring. Link had not sat around since returning to his own time, he had been training, alongside enjoying the life in the years he had missed. He wanted to be ready for the next threat to face Hyrule, and he had trained hard. His swordsmanship had greatly improved, but his heart was no longer in it. He fought with incredible skill, but not with passion, and he knew why. The Master Sword. The legendary sword of Hero's, the bane of evil, forged to be the ultimate weapon against darkness, and he had wielded it. He had been the true Hero of Time; he had fought his way through the six temples with that sword in his hand, defeating great monsters and beasts. And when the time came to strike the final blow that would incapacitate Ganon, the Master Sword had been in his hand then too. But when he sealed the doorway between times, he had had to leave the legendary blade in its pedestal in the Temple of Time and never more remove it, lest he risk resurrecting that dark future. He had only been the Hero of Time in a erased future, and the only sword worthy of being wielded by him was unreachable. So where did that leave him? There was no need for Hero's anymore, and there hadn't been so much as a Deku scrub giving anyone funny looks in terms of incidents.   
  
He collected his pay from the complaining Dampe and headed into the village. He stopped by the archery range to make sure he was still sharp with a bow, and he was, six targets, six bullseyes and another 100 rupees in prize money much to the frustration of the owner, who had long since gotten into the habit of having his wallet ready the second Link stepped into the range. He had his exit and left the village, heading out onto Hyrule field. He had considered heading up Death Mountain to see Dariuna, leader of the Gorons, but decided against it as it was a Wednesday, and that meant the Goron races, they would all roll into balls and thunder up and down the mountain. Link had nearly been crushed the last time he dropped by on a Wednesday. But as he stepped out onto Hyrule field he stopped.   
  
The sun was just setting. It's sinking rays struck the grassy plain and turned it golden, and the sky above turning from blue to pink as the day drew to a close. Link closed his eyes and inhaled, wanting to savour this moment. A soft breeze blew upon him, and he opened his eyes, coming out of his trance like state of euphoria. He looked over to Lon Lon Ranch, situated in the middle of the plain, the home of Talon, the ranch owner, and Malon, his daughter and one of Link's closest friends. Since it was Wednesday, it meant they would be cleaning out the stables, and since Ingo the worker had left they had been short on help. Plus, with the extra money he had won, he would finally be able to pay for Epona, the horse he had played with as a child, who had since grown to be the fastest in Hyrule. He was old enough to ride her now he had turned 16, he had been learning with help from Malon. Come to think of it, he was old enough to do the stuff that he did as the Hero of Time, and Link knew that it was exactly one week, two days and fourteen hours from the exact moment when the battle with Ganondorf would have taken place in the alternate time. At that time, all that could have been would be overwritten, but what would that mean for the Master Sword? Could it be that he could remove it from its pedestal and be reunited? He would have to talk to Zelda about that, but he saw little of the princess at the moment, as she was being groomed by her father the King for royal duties. He walked the well-trodden path up to the Ranch. The gate was open, as usual, and Link went inside.   
"Malon? Talon? Anyone home?"  
"In here young 'un." A gruff voice shouted from the direction of the stables. He stepped inside.  
"Link! Nice of you to drop by kid, don't suppose you've got the rest of the money for that horse have you?" Talon asked, always to the point.  
"Matter of fact I do" Link replied, throwing him the bag of rupees. "Got lucky at the archery contest in Kakariko. That is, if you haven't gone and sold Epona to someone else.."  
"Course not, you're the only person 'sides from Malon who she'll let ride her! And don't give me lucky, you're the best archer in Hyrule. Best swordsman too for that matter. And your ridings none too shabby either, and..."  
"I didn't come for the praise, I thought I could lend a hand with the stables, I know you've been understaffed since Ingo hit the road"  
"Very kind of you son, you still workin' for Dampe? Because there's a job for you here if you want it..."  
"I wouldn't dream of it. You know I would never take your money, I help you out for free Talon, and I only work for Dampe for the excitement. I mean, today I...  
"Link! What are you doing here?" Malon exclaimed, having just entered through the door. She gave him a big hug, Link blushed bright red.  
"Link's here to help out honey, lend a hand with the stables and all that. Plus he's paid up for Epona. Right, I'm off, you two behave while I'm gone." Talon left Link and Malon rolling their eyes. They had both agreed that there wasn't anything like that between them, it was just friendship.   
"When is he going to take the hint?" Link exclaimed  
"Maybe he's secretly disappointed the isn't any misbehaving going on. You know he's looking for someone to pass the business on to..." Malon said jokingly.  
"Well, the first time we met he asked me to marry you y'know."  
"What! And what did you say?"  
"Excuse me sir, I am in fact the legendary Hero of Time, and I can't be associating with the riffraff don't you know." Link said in his upper class voice, posing.  
"Riffraff! You cheeky so and so! I'll give you Hero of Time you great pansy, you couldn't fight way out a paper bag..." she yelled, her voice somewhere between laughter and anger, at Link, now prostrate with laughter. She grabbed a pitchfork and ran at him. He instinctively ducked out the way, and she jabbed the fork into some stacked up bales of hay, causing them to come crashing down on Link. He clawed his way free to see her standing over him, her shoulder length brown hair unkempt, her work dress creased, but her eyes alive with mischief.   
"Finished rolling around?" she asked innocently  
"Not quite..", he snaked his hand out and grabbed her ankle, catching her off balance and knocking her down with a gasp of surprise.   
"Why you sneaky... oh look at this place, we've made a right mess. Right you, stop laying about and give me a hand. What's the matter, Mr. Hero of Time not wanting to get his hands dirty?"  
"Don't get me started..." he replied, laughing.   
  
They finished clearing up an hour or so later, and sat outside on a crate talking.  
  
"...and when are you going to find someone Link? I've known you all this time and you've had not one single girlfriend. And don't tell me you don't mind, I can see the loneliness and pain behind your eyes when you think no-ones looking."  
"I, I just don't know. I try not to think about it mostly. The last 7 years I've been so busy preparing to be the great hero, and I forgot to have a life along the way."  
  
Malon was the only person Link had told about his great quest, and she said she believed him, but in her heart there was doubt. It all seemed like a fairy tale to her, and although she trusted him and knew he wouldn't lie, he had always been this great guy and friend that she had grown up with, and despite his skill at arms she could never picture him as the great Hero of Time.   
  
"Link, how do you know that the next threat to Hyrule will be your life time? What if nothing ever happens, and you will be an old, old man who has wasted his life with nothing to shown for it."  
"I can't take that chance. This is my fate, ridiculous as it seems, I am the defender of Hyrule, whatever that takes. Even if it does seem more of a curse than a honour sometimes. I will always be there for this land, ready to fight for it."  
"I'm worried that if go on like this you will forget what it is you are fighting for. Promise me you won't forget, Link."  
"I promise."  
"Thank you." She yawned. "Its getting late, you should bunk up in Ingo's old room." She wasn't going to say 'Its too dangerous to be out at this time" because she knew that would fall on deaf ears. Link wasn't affected by danger and fear like everyone else she knew, but it hadn't made him cold inside, yet. She just hoped he would find love before it did. What Link didn't understand was that as strong and skilled and courageous as he was, it was physical and mental strength. He had never got in touch with his emotions, he had never really grown up, he had never loved and lived. She could see that side in him, and it worried her. She wanted him to stay because she enjoyed his company and his friendship more than anything else at this time in her life, and she wanted to help him in whatever small way that she could.  
"Thanks Malon."  
They headed inside.  
  
The winds of change were blowing on the land of Hyrule, and things would not remain in a tranquil state much longer. Two dark figures stalked the land, both agents of the King of Evil, both unaware of the others existence, both single mindedly tracking the same target.   
  
Link awoke with a jolt, and banged his head against the sloping ceiling. He had not slept well; he had had a dark premonition of evil approaching. He put it to the back of his mind, dressed and went down stairs.  
  
"Lookie here, if it ain't sleeping beauty come to join us" said Talon with a grin  
"Oh, leave him alone dad. Morning Link!"  
"Good morning Malon, morning Talon."  
  
He had been at the Ranch a week now at Malon's insistence. Mostly he had been helping out, but he had also been practising his equestrian abilities, learning to saddle and groom Epona, along with getting in some riding practice around the ranch. But today he was off to the Gerudo fortress to use their training facilities and try his hand at horseback archery. And he had promised to take Malon along to have a look around too.   
  
"Ready to go Link?" Malon enquired.  
"As always"  
  
They went over to the stables and prepared the horses, Epona for Link and Blaze for Malon. She held them while he unlocked the gates. Then they mounted up and headed out.   
  
"C'mon slowcoach, I'll race you" Malon shouted over to him. Link just smiled and nodded. Both horses broke into a gallop for the entrance to Gerudo valley. Epona was the faster horse but Malon but the more skilled rider, and it turned out as a draw, although neither wanted to admit it.   
  
"Hang on, let me go first" he told her as they approached the fortress. A Gerudo guard stepped forward. The Gerudos were a female race of thieves, there were men, but they had been taken as slaves from other races and the offspring were always born female. But once every hundred years a male Gerudo was born, and the last had been Ganondorf.   
  
"Who goes there?" the guard demanded.  
"My name is Link. I come to train. This is my friend Malon."  
"Link? Yes, you are admitted. Enter."  
  
They tied up the horses outside, and went into the fortress via the main entrance. After what seemed an eternity of sandstone corridors they arrived at the main hall where the current Gerudo queen, Riana was waiting.   
  
"It has been a long time Link."  
"Yes it has. I have a request."  
"Of course. Go on."  
"Would you mind showing Malon around? Just while I'm using the training ground that is."  
"I would be glad to. It is not often that outsider females are interested in our society."  
"Thank you!" Malon piped up  
"You are welcome Malon. My name is Riana. This way please. Link, you remember where the grounds are?"  
"Yes. See you two later, ok?"  
"Ok, bye Link" Malon finished  
Link navigated the corridors back outside, then entered the door to the training area. As he looked around he saw that some additions had been made. He stepped into one of the new rooms, marked "Agility". The object of this room was to make it from one side to the other without breaking pace, whilst avoiding the spike traps, swinging pendulums and other such niceties. The Gerudo training grounds were not designed with safety in mind. They were the harshest, most arduous training facilities in Hyrule, and more than one life had been lost carelessly. Link removed his shield and scabbard, along with his equipment belt for his first run. On successive runs, he decided he would carry all his kit, as it would be no good if he faced this challenge in the future and would be forced to leave all his equipment behind. But this was just a trial run, just to rate his competence at this challenge. He moved to the starting post, mentally timing the motion of the moving blades to determine the best time to make his move.  
  
Now.  
  
He saw his opening, and leapt over the first set of retracting spikes and through the first set of blades. Without thinking he went into a roll, just avoiding the pendulum he had nearly forgotten about. Careless. The next set of spikes was coming up, and these were much higher than the first. He increased his speed and vaulted them, timing his leap to take him past the next blade that whizzed past him along it's set groove to the opposite wall. Close. He realised that he had just walked into the next spike trap, but this one was different. Spikes of different lengths rose randomly from holes in the floor. The wisest option was to get out as soon as possible, but the next trial, five consecutive pendulums, all with separate timings, was not in optimal positions for safe passage. A spike shot up from the floor, nearly impaling his leg, but he dodged to the right, almost into the path of another. He stepped back quickly as another came up in front of him. He had his back to the pendulums, and a single glance over his shoulder told him there was a chance. He crouched, then sprung up and back-flipped past the arc of the first pendulum. He spun as he landed, then rolled past the second, and then snapped his body bolt upright to avoid being bisected by the third, then ducked past it. He then twisted past the fourth the moment it passed him and in an instinctive spasmodic movement sprung through the split second gap between the fourth and fifth, past the last pendulum to the end zone. The whole chain of events had taken less than ten seconds to run its course. But that last squeeze had gone beyond close.   
  
Link put his hand to the tear in his tunic on his shoulder, and it came away bloody. He checked the wound, and it was not serious. Not deep, but it ran the length of his upper arm. As he made for the small path at the side of the course that would lead him safely back to the starting area, out of the corner of his eye the was a swift movement from behind him. He spun to see a figure shrouded in a dark cloak readying a bow to fire at him. They must have dropped in through the skylight he thought, not that it makes much difference, all my stuff is at the other side of the room, damn. As the attacker loosed an arrow at Link, he had no option but to throw himself back into the course. The attacker fired again and again, but the pendulums blocked the arrows. The figure made a low growling sound and pulled a sword. Link was ducking and dodging for his life, and had cleared most of the course on his way back. He made the final leap to the first area and dived for his sword and the attacker came down the side path and ran at him. Link grabbed his sword and blocked the attack aimed for his neck. He pushed off and jumped to his feet. His shoulder was beginning to bleed more freely as he put more strain on it and as his heart began to race, pumping blood faster. He knew he could not keep this up for long. He blocked blow after blow, but was loosing the strength to launch an offence of his own. His attacker lunged at him, but Link stepped to the side and grabbed them and threw the figure against the wall. He didn't wait around for them to get up, rather grabbed the rest of his kit and ran for the door. He made it outside, gasping for air only to see a figure shrouded in a dark cloak. How could this be! He had just left them inside only a few seconds ago! Then the door opened, and the first attacker ran out.   
  
"What the Hell is going on here?" he demanded, only to be dropped to his knees by a lightning fast blow to the shoulder by the newcomer.   
  
The two dark figures just stood and stared at each other. They nodded in turn, then pulled back their hoods. Link looked to the first and saw that his attacker was female. She had black hair, blue steely eyes. Her skill suggested Gerudo, but her features were Hylian, which meant Gerudo training. But then Link registered the surprise on her face and looked to the face of the other figure, and nearly passed out. The face was his. The figure was Dark Link.   
  
Dark Link had been created by Ganondorf to destroy Link. The two had finally faced off in the Water Temple during Link's quest to save Hyrule. It had been a long, terrible fight, but eventually Link won by wearing Dark Link down in a sword fight then tricked him by dropping the sword, and delivering a crushing blow to his chest with the Megaton Hammer that he had obtained elsewhere on his quest.   
  
"No. I killed you, how can you be HERE?!"   
"Silence weakling. You may have defeated me once, but Ganondorf resurrected me when you banished him to the sacred realm. He has worn down the sage's barrier enough to send me though to obtain the one thing that can bring down the seal entirely. Your blood. Look at you. On your knees because of a woman."  
  
The female attacker, who had been silent up to this point stepped in.   
  
"If I can best one Link then I can best another you fool. Don't underestimate me. And Link is my prize. His death is my right by decree of the Great King of Evil."  
  
"You're both working for him? Oh, this is just great."  
"I was ordered to dispatch Link by Ganondorf himself in person." Dark Link stated.  
"As was I." The attacker replied.  
"May I ask for what reason?" Link queried sarcastically, quick talking while he busily bandaged his shoulder with his torn sleeve.   
  
"Hold your tongue dog. My name is Erin. And you killed everyone I ever cared for, and destroyed my life. Ganondorf took me in, and gave he the training I needed to take my revenge. His last words to me were 'Kill Link'"  
  
"I can't allow that." Dark Link said.  
"I'm gonna have to say a definite no to the both of you" echoed Link.  
"Try and stop me" Erin said bluntly, drawing her sword.  
  
Link, feeling a little better, rolled backwards, flipped upright and pulled his sword.  
  
Dark Link laughed and drew his own sword. Link stepped back in shock. Erin spoke.  
  
"That's the Master Sword..."  
"No it isn't" commented Link. "That is not the Master Sword. It looks the same, but the blade is black. What the hell is it?"  
"Your precious Master Sword still resides in the Temple of Time. As you know, it was forged by an ancient King of Hyrule to strike at darkness. This blade was forged by Ganondorf to strike at light. Impressive, no?"  
"No."  
"Suit yourself. Enough talk."  
  
As the three combatants prepared to fight, Malon walked out of the fortress and saw Link, a guy in black that looked like Link and a woman all about to kill each other.   
  
"LINK!"  
Link turned towards her.   
"MALON! Get out of here, get Riana now!"  
Dark Link swung the Black Blade at Link's head. He ducked it and punched Dark Link hard in the midsection. He then blocked a flurry of attacks from Erin before Dark Link recovered and kicked her away from Link. He tried to bring his blade down on Link in a overhead swing but Link dropped to his knees and swung his sword and Dark Link's legs, forcing him to leap back and miss his own swing. As he tried to catch his balance, Link kicked upwards, catching him on the torso and sending him sprawling. As Erin rushed back into the fight Link went on the offensive, raining blow after blow down on her and she began to falter and stumble, but Dark Link had recovered quickly and brought the hilt of his sword down on the back of Link's head, dropping him like a stone. Then he turned his attention to Erin, lashing out and knocking her to the ground. Link regained his senses just in time to see Dark Link raising his blade to kill Erin, and a strange sensation hit him. Part of it was raw instinct, the desire to protect was part of his nature, but there was something else. She claimed he had destroyed her life, yet he had never met her. She claimed he had killed everyone she loved, but Link would never do that, plus she was Hylian and Link had never taken a Hylian life. So how could that be? And if he had ruined her life, he could not let it end because of him. And there was something else...  
  
Link grabbed his sword from where it had fallen, and dived over Erin as Dark Link swung the Black Blade down. He brought his sword up to block it, but the dark sword caught it on the side, and his sword shattered into hundreds of pieces and the flat edge of the blade smacked him across the torso. It felt like he was being electrocuted, but the momentum of his dive landed him on the other side of a very shocked Erin. Link stood, and before his dark counterpart could react he jumped and landed and double footed drop kick on his chest that slammed him backwards into a stone wall. A group of Gerudo guards ran out of the fortress led by Riana, with Malon following tentatively behind. Link knew there would be a bloodbath unless he led his two assailants somewhere else. Then it hit him. The wastelands. The Gerudo guarded the entrance to the haunted wastelands, and the large gate at the end of the yard was the only way in or out. He knew the path through the wasteland, and if he could trap them there he could avert disaster. He yelled to Riana.  
  
"STOP! Open the gate to the wasteland NOW!"  
  
The Gerudo froze in their tracks. Riana ran up the ladder by the gate and turned the handle that would open it. Link looked around. Dark Link and Erin were struggling to their feet both surprised by Link's actions when he could have stood by and have had one less attacker to worry about. Erin caught Link's eye and the two stared at each other, their expressions blank, betraying nothing about what they were thinking or feeling. Link turned and ran for the gateway. Erin followed quickly after retrieving her sword, and Dark Link howled in rage and pursued as well, leaving Malon, Riana and the other Gerudo standing in utter bewilderment. Riana pulled the handle back and the gates closed.   
"What are you doing? Link won't be able to get out! He's in a natural death-trap with his evil twin and some psycho lady whilst wounded and tired and you just closed the door?!" Malon yelled at her.  
"Link knows what he is doing. Those who attacked him were of great skill and dark mind, he lead them away to save all our lives. If Link survives, he will return and we will open the gate. If he dies, his killers will die with him. We can only wait."  
Malon wanted to argue but knew Riana was right. Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of Link getting killed out there. She ran for her horse, Blaze.   
"Where are you going?" Riana shouted down to her.  
"To find the one person who might be able to help and tell me what the Hell is going on!" She replied, and rode out of Gerudo Valley.  
  



	2. Mirror Image - Part 2

Link staggered, head bowed, through the seemingly endless desert. His entering the wastelands had more than the motive of protecting his friends; this was the place where he had hidden the majority of his equipment on his return from the dark future. He hadn't been able to use most of it, he had been too young, so he had journeyed into the wastelands in order to deposit it and come back for it when the time was right. The time was most definitely right, and now he needed to find the Poe, the spirit of the desert to lead him to the right spot. He finally made it to a small stone building with a ramp up the side. Once on the roof, he cleaned the off the sand that had piled up on a small tablet, and he read the inscription.   
  
"Guardian of the Desert, awake! Rise from beyond the grave and bring yourself to me, manifest your spectral power to do my bidding. Guardian of the Desert, AWAKE!"  
  
There was no flash of light, no horrific apparition, no vortex from the netherworld opened. What did happen was a rather squeakish and irate voice replied:  
  
"This had better be bloody good or else somebody's gonna get themselves cursed."  
  
"Guardian, its me, Link!"  
  
"Link? Who the… Oh, right, Link. You'll be wanting me to take you to your stash then."  
  
"Please. Also there are two people following me, make sure we are not followed if you would."  
  
"Very well then follow me."  
  
"Wait a second, you're still invisible, how am I supposed to follow you if I can't see you?"  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
The Poe manifested itself. It was an ethereal, hovering figure, draped in tattered robes, its eyes aglow. It gestured for Link to follow, then set off into the sandstorm. Link nearly lost sight of the Poe at one point, but it slowed down to allow him to catch up after he yelled at it. Eventually, they reached a large, half-buried statue of Twinrova, the Gerudo witch sisters who raised Ganondorf and used to rule the Spirit Temple not far from here. Link dug down with his hands, he hadn't buried it that deeply or so he thought. Twenty minutes later he was no closer to the chest with his equipment. He looked at the Poe.   
  
"Couldn't you give us a hand here? You have power over the sand, see if you can't clear it away from the statue."   
  
The Poe did not reply, only rolled it's glowing eyes as if to say 'Oh, please.' It lifted an arm at the effigy of evil and suddenly a mini-whirlwind sprung up, hoovering up all the sand around the statue, revealing a sturdy wooden chest. Link ran in and grabbed its handle.  
  
"Can you take me to the Spirit Temple?" he shouted above the howl of the whirlwind. The Poe nodded, and showed him the way.   
  
Meanwhile, Erin had been following from a distance, evading the Poe's lookout. So Link had his toys back then. She did not know the exact contents of the chest, but she knew that any weapon in his hand would make her task far more difficult. She had underestimated him before, and he had fended her and his dark double off with a serious wound. He had surprised her in that way, and in another. Why had he saved her? What possible reasons could he have had for saving her life from Dark Link? At the very least, she had tried to kill him, was that not enough reason to stand by and watch her die? If he had forgotten all about how he wiped out her family it would not surprise her, his heart was so cold. She watched him kill them, his eyes filled with bloodlust on that terrible day nearly seven years ago. Her father had been a carpenter; he had been contracted to build the first bridge across the gorge in Gerudo valley. It had been a long job, and the family had moved out from Kakariko to join him. Her, her mother and younger brother and sister, twins. They had been living in a tent for some weeks, when one night her father had gone outside. She had crept to the door and spied on him. She saw a white horse gallop past with two riders, a woman and a young girl in a pretty dress. Her father had looked shocked, and then he had appeared. A young boy in a Kolkiri tunic had come from nowhere and spoken to her father. She had come forward and crouched behind a rock, but still could not hear what they were saying. Then, the boy had struck her father. He then took a bomb and casually threw it into the tent. She had heard the screams of her mother and siblings as it detonated and ripped them apart, burning them and the tent to the ground. Her father had screamed in horror and collapsed to her knees staring into the inferno. The boy drew his sword, his face an evil rictus grin, and cut her father's head off. He laughed and laughed and laughed, and threw it into the gorge. He had left then, and she had been sat there behind the rock for what seemed an age, in horrific shock. Shortly after, a man had appeared riding a black Gerudo stallion. That man had been Ganondorf. He had taken her in, raised and trained her. He made no pretence to being a good man and made no secret of his plans to conquer Hyrule using any means necessary. She held him in high regard, but did not care much for him. To her, he was a means to getting her vengeance on the one who had caused her this misery; Link. All her thoughts had been of killing him, and slowly her heart had been consumed by hatred and bitterness. She found herself more and more able to fulfil the Evil King's orders, assassination, murder, and ambush, with no remorse or guilt. But Link had vanished. For seven years she awaited his return, until one day, rumours of a young man in a Kolkiri tunic raiding the five temples arose. She begged Ganondorf to let her go after him, hunt him down, but he refused. As she argued more vehemently, he threatened to have her executed. She had backed down, her fires of hatred burning more powerfully than ever. When Link arrived at Ganondorf's castle and the final battle had raged, she had been trapped on the opposite side, unable to reach the upper levels where the confrontation was shaking down the foundations. Knowing the castle would collapse she had made her escape, but when Ganondorf transformed into Ganon in the ruins of the shattered tower, she had returned to watch to see if he would crush Link. If she could not do it herself she would at least witness it. But Ganon fell, and as he was banished to the Sacred Realm, Ganon used the last of his unimaginable might to drag her in as well. Time passes differently in the Sacred Realm, it is not fixed, and Ganondorf, unable to escape the realm himself, sent her back through the weakened barrier and she had returned to a different present. But she had never even heard of Dark Link, and she was shocked that Ganondorf would have entrusted the task of killing Link to another. But then he never trusted anyone, and Dark Link knew nothing of her as well. Their missions had been identical but separate. She understood, they were backups for each other. Ganondorf only wanted Link dead, he didn't care who did the deed as long as it got done, so that he could be freed. She too had been ordered to retrieve his blood, but she had not told the Links that. And she would have his blood, and his life. He would regret his compassion, be it genuine or fraudulent. And if she could kill two Links for the price of one, vengeance would be doubly sweet.  
  
Link staggered into the desert oasis surrounding the Spirit Temple, dragging the chest behind him. He made one last effort, heaved it up the steps on to the stone platform at the base of the desert colossus, the gargantuan Gerudo statue that was the temple, then collapsed, exhausted. He lay there for a minute or two, breathing deeply, then forced himself into action. He stood up and checked his wound. With all the activity in the wasteland, the bandage had come loose and the gash had deepened. He was loosing blood again, and the wound was dirty with sand. He walked over to the small pool of water on one side of the colossus, went down on his knees, and began to wash the wound with cold water, a thoroughly painful business, but Link gritted his teeth and blanked the pain. This done, he tore strips of material from his tunic and dressed the wound properly, not a rushed bandaging as before. Link felt light headed and sleepy from the blood loss, but he had a job to do and he could not rest. He went back to the chest. This was more than equipping himself, this was a ritual. Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil threatened the land of Hyrule once more, and it was finally time to once more take up the mantle of the Hero of Time. He crouched before the chest, ran his fingers across the locking mechanism. He reached for the chain around his neck that carried the key, and yanked it free. He turned to key in the lock, and slowly opened the lid. As he pulled back the oilskin that covered his equipment, a brilliant glare of light struck his eyes. It was a reflection from the polished surface of the Mirror Shield. Memories filled his mind.   
  
The Mirror Shield was a powerful defence, forged to provide protection from not only physical attacks, but magical ones too. Its highly reflective surface, trimmed with red metal around the edges, would turn back any dark magical attack that touched it. He had found the Mirror Shield right here, in the Spirit Temple, when he had conquered it in the dark future. It had been the final temple in his quest, and as he crept through its dark passageways, he had confronted a mighty armour-clad warrior, armed with a massive two-handed axe. He had defeated the warrior, and entered the door he had been guarding. Link had found himself outside, standing on one of the giant statues outstretched hands, presented with a chest, a chest that contained the Mirror Shield. He had gone on to defeat the witch sisters, Koume and Kotake, with this shield, reflecting one witches attacks on the other until they had combined their power and formed Twinrova, but Link had still defeated them once and for all.   
  
He slung the Mirror Shield on to his back, and reached for the next item.  
  
Biggoron's Sword. This mighty two-handed sword had taken a great deal of effort on Links part to obtain, running all kinds of seemingly pointless errands, only to find it was broken. He had journeyed to the very summit of Death Mountain to see Biggoron, the largest of all Gorons, as big as a house, and the finest smith in all of Hyrule. He agreed to repair the blade, but as fate would have it he was unable to because he could not see properly, a volcanic eruption having irritated his eyes. Link had shook his head in disbelief, the gone to Zora's domain, home of the elegant, amphibious Zora race and then to the laboratory at Lake Hylia, finally obtaining some eyedrops before racing back to Biggoron before they went off. Finally, Biggoron repaired the sword for him. In terms of power, the sword was even more damaging against regular enemies than the Master Sword was, but it lacked the legendary blade's magnificence, and was not as effective against the dark powers. Plus he could not wield it single-handed; he could not use it in conjunction with a shield or any other item. Still, it would suffice until he was re-united with the Master Sword, which if he were right, would only be a day and a half at the most. He had to reach the Temple of Time by then and retrieve it, or he would not be able to defeat Dark Link, or Ganondorf.   
  
Next were three scrolls, each written in ancient Hylian. The litanies on the scrolls would bestow magic properties on regular arrows. One would make the arrow ignite the target on contact, the second would freeze the target on contact, and the third was special in that the arrow, like the Master Sword, would strike at evil. He had used the latter in the fight with Ganondorf. He hadn't had much call for them before now, but hopeful they would come in handy. Of course he would have to learn the litanies again, it would be counter-productive to have to dig out the relevant scroll and read it, especially in a combat situation.   
  
Ah, the Golden Gauntlets. These powerful magical items fitted over Link's hands and forearms, and boosted his strength many, many times. Not a weapon as such in that he had mainly used them for moving heavy rocks and pillars that blocked his path, but with them, Link's punches could kill, and sword swings did much more damage. And now he had the power to wield the Biggoron sword single handed, light as a feather.   
  
These were all that he needed. He didn't want to burden himself with further equipment, which may not be of use. He moved the oilskin back over the remaining items and closed and locked the lid. He dragged the chest just inside the Temple. Walking back outside, he slung the sword and shield over his back, tucked the scrolls into his rupee wallet and donned the gauntlets. As he did so, a powerful rush of energy empowered him, strengthened him. He was ready to face the trials ahead.   
  
Meanwhile, Malon was arguing vehemently with one of the guards at the entrance of Hyrule Castle.  
  
"Just ask her!"  
  
"Does Princess Zelda know you? Personally?"  
  
"Well, no, but if you just tell her Link is in trouble and needs her help, she will understand! Please!"  
  
"Link? Who the Hell is Link?"  
  
"JUST DO IT! PLEASE!"  
  
"Alright, alright, but if this is some kind of joke, If I come back and you've run away, or anything, you are in big trouble little missy…"  
  
The guard sighed and began the walk up the steps, through the courtyard and into the castle's throne room. Zelda was acting as regent, as the King was currently on a diplomatic mission to the twin lands of Labrynna and Holodrum pursuing potential alliances. She was sat upon the throne, talking to a senior dignitary of the court. She was dressed in a flowing dress of light pink and white, lined with gold. Her golden blond hair was tied back in the latest style and a small coronet dotted with precious jewels and emblazoned with the image of the Triforce, three triangles forming a larger one, sat upon her head spoke. She acted with a regal, haughty demeanour, as she had been raised. The guard bowed to the Princess, who gestured for him to rise.   
  
"What brings you?"  
  
"My lady, a young lady at the gate, by the name of Malon, requests an audience with you."  
  
"For what purpose?"  
  
"She bade me tell you that 'Link is in danger' my lady"  
  
For a second, her royal attitude was erased by the genuine concern that surfaced on her surprised features and shone in her eyes.   
  
"Link!" she spoke, in a slow intake of breath. Then she caught herself and re-adopted her former poise.   
  
"Admit her this instant. Bring her before me with the utmost of courtesy."   
  
The guard bowed, turned and left. Shortly after, he returned with Malon in tow, eyeing him with a smug look of 'I told you so…' She curtseyed clumsily before Zelda, who nodded her head and addressed everyone present.   
  
"Leave us."  
  
The assembled guards and nobles who knew better than to argue with the strong willed Princess filled out of the room dutifully. As soon as the doors had closed behind the last, Zelda nimbly jumped down from the throne and podium and moved towards Malon, her steely visage discarded one more in deference to her fear for Link.   
  
"Thank you for coming Malon" she said, clasping her hands, "What has happened to Link? How can I be of assistance?"  
  
This was nearly too much for Malon. The royal Princess was addressing her as an equal, offering her assistance, her, a lowly farm girl. She swallowed her surprise and told Zelda all that she knew of the situation. Once she had finished Zelda leaned towards the doorway and summoned her chief advisor, a venerable old man by the name of Leoniro.  
  
"Yes my lady?"  
  
"Leoniro, mobilise a squadron of our best warriors on horseback and have my horse ready. I am departing on a mission of the utmost importance to the kingdom, you have command while I am gone."  
  
"But my lady…"  
  
"Now, Leoniro."  
  
The adviser emitted a barely audible sigh. He had long since given up trying to reason with the Princess when her mind was made up, especially when her father was not present.   
  
"Yes my lady." He shuffled out.   
  
Zelda turned to Malon.  
  
"Now then, we can't very well go adventuring in dresses can we?" she said to Malon with a smile. "I've got some things that are a little better suited, and you look about my size."  
She saw Malon's querying look and smiled. "Think of it as a makeover."  
  
They walked to Zelda's chamber. At the back of the Princess's wardrobe was a second, and she opened it and removed a sword and shield.   
  
"Link gave me these. Did he ever tell you about what happened…"  
  
Malon nodded  
  
"I don't have to explain it then thank goodness. We'd have been here forever. Anyway, when we got back, he took me to see to the top of Death Mountain to see a smithy called Biggoron. He's an amazing craftsman, and though he was used to making far larger weapons, he was easily able to create these. Here, hold them."  
  
She handed them to Malon. They were smaller than regular swords and shields, more suited to female wielding, very light, but she could tell, even with her untrained eye, that they must be very strong as well.   
  
"Hang on to that set, I have spares. Now for clothing…"  
  
She reached once more into the wardrobe, retrieving two outfits, navy blue. Trousers, a short sleeved tops and jackets that had cloaks on the back, all of the same material. Malon knew more about clothing than weapons, and could see that the material, whatever it was, was woven in such a way that it would not tear or rip easily. They looked very comfortable. However, Malon was reluctant to accept that girls could wear trousers. Eventually she changed into them, finding them not as bad or alien as she had expected.   
  
"Have you fought before?" Zelda asked?  
"A little, nothing major" replied Malon  
"Let's practice quickly, we have time before the cavalry will be ready."  
  
The two faced off, then moved to fight with the swords, only to find that they were using the same moves, the same tactics. They stopped.   
  
"Link's training, right?" Malon asked, grinning  
"Right. Thank the Triforce that he's the best." said Zelda, grinning equally  
  
They went to the courtyard where the troops were waiting, mounted their horses and headed for Gerudo Valley.   
  
Back at the Spirit Temple, Erin cursed. That damned Link was in a much better state to fight than before. But still, she had the advantage of suprise. It would have to do. She peeked out from behind the rock she had hidden herself behind. Now he was heading her way. She gripped her sword and readied her mind. As he stepped past her hiding place she made her move, she leapt out in front of him and lunged.  
  
Link had been walking out of the desert oasis when Erin attacked. He was startled by her sudden appearance, but his incredible reflexes were up to the task, and he blocked blow after blow with his gauntlets. No time to reach for my sword, he though, I'll have to fend her of like this.  
  
Erin knew that the only way to win this would be to do it quickly. If this became drawn out, he would win. He had fended of her initial ambush, but all was not lost. She continued, pushing her speed and skills to the limit.   
  
The pair battled on, Link parrying Erin's attacks with his armoured hands. Finally she over extended her reach on a stab attack, and Link stepped a little back and to the side and slapped the sword right out her hands with the back of his hand. He held her steely gaze for a second, then reached for his sword. Erin scooped up a handful of sand and hurled it at his face, and as he staggered back, she pulled a wicked looking dagger and jammed it in his midsection, slightly to the side. Link roared in pain, and as he had done with her sword, hit her with the back of his hand, sending her flying back into the rock she had emerged from behind and instantly knocking her out cold. Turning his attention to his stomach, her tore out the dagger and flung it aside. Clamping one hand over the wound to stanch the flow of blood, he stumbled over to Erin, and with his free hand, tied her up with a length of rope he had stashed in the chest. It took a long time, and a few times he had to use both hands to tie the knots and the bleeding would worsen. One of his gauntlets was now dripping red with his blood. His mind was ablaze with pain, his thought alive with emotion, anger at himself, confusion. He knew that whatever instinct inside him was telling him to keep her alive was once again putting him in danger. He had saved her once, and this is where it had got him. And now, instead of removing her from the equation he was going to take her back to the Gerudo fortress with him. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But he had questions that he needed answered, not only about Ganondorf but about this woman's past, because he knew full well he had not killed her family, so who the hell had? He hadn't even pursued Zelda as far as Gerudo Valley, the only one who had had been...   
  
Everything clicked. Ganondorf. He had followed Zelda, lost track of her, asked the carpenter, killed him, bombed the tent with the family in it, and for whatever dark design, altered Erin's memory to make her remember the killer as being Link. Dammit. He would have to make her see truth. But now, he had his own health to think about. He had already lost blood today, and now he had another, more serious wound to attend to. He tore another strip of material from his diminishing tunic and bandaged his midsection tightly. He knew though, that it would take more than that to stop the blood leaving his body, but it had to get him as far as the Gerudo fortress. It had to. A few minutes of work with the Biggoron sword, some branches from a nearby tree and some left over rope produced a makeshift sled for him to drag Erin on. He lifted her on to it, and began his journey back into the wasteland. 


	3. Mirror Image - Part 3

Link trudged forward, dragging the sled behind him. Each step he took required more effort, each breath he took in became more laboured. He had been making slow progress for hours, and it would be nightfall soon. He had to stop, to change his bandage, and to talk to Erin, if she would listen. A muffled growl from behind the gag he had put on her confirmed that she was conscious. In the distance he could just make out the stone building from which he had called forth the Poe. They could take shelter there for the night.   
  
Finally inside, he out Erin in one corner. There was wood for a fire, and some rough woven sacks they could use as blankets. It would have to do, as if he had a choice. He gathered some wood for the fire in the corner where there was a chimney, used his sword to cut one log up into kindling. Then he took his bow, removed the head from one of his arrow and looped the drawstring of the bow round it, placed the wooden end of the arrow in the kindling and then moved the bow back and forth, which spun the arrow on the spot. After five minutes or so of fast spinning, thin wisps of smoke arose, and then the kindling ignited. Piling some larger logs on, Link then sat with his back against the wall and re-tied his bandage, ever aware of Erin staring at him.   
  
The fire was in full flame now, and dancing shadows played across the walls. Erin stared at Link, the fire reflected in his eyes... and his soul. For the first time in her entire life, she questioned everything she knew of him. She had seen him kill her family, and now, here he was, keeping her alive at great effort, after she had stabbed him! Either his stupidity knew no bounds, or his compassion didn't. But she had seen him do it! How could one so black hearted appear so genuine? She shrugged the traces of doubt from her mind. If he had reformed, it didn't make a blind bit of difference; he was still her family's killer, and the second he lapsed his guard it would be over for him. Link held her stare, and then walked over and removed her gag, and then went and sat back down and continued to look into her eyes.   
  
Thinking of nothing else that she could say and not being able to stand the silence, she spoke.  
  
"Why the hell are you doing this?"  
  
Link suppressed a smirk, and replied;  
  
"I'm not entirely sure."  
  
"WHAT!? I try and kill you twice; you spare my life twice. Now, you are wounded, yet you insist on dragging me along the desert with you, and you don't know WHY!"  
  
"Well, part of me isn't sure. Another part is confused as hell, but the part speaking now has some questions and some answers."  
  
"What are you talking about on about? Cut the small talk, what do you want?"  
  
"Fine. I want to know what Ganondorf is up to, but I have a feeling you will be more willing to answer after this next bit. I didn't kill your family, Ganondorf did it."  
  
Erin burst out laughing incredulously.   
  
"What! Oh please, you really expect me to believe that? You are the murderer, Ganondorf the rescuer, end of story. Well, except it's not the end, but it will be when I kill you."  
  
"I was expecting this. Well, for starters, I wasn't even in Gerudo Valley that night. Earlier on, Zelda had thrown me the Ocarina of Time, before she fled on horse back with Impa, her protector. By the time they reached Gerudo Valley, I had opened the door in the Temple of Time, pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal and entered the Sacred realm, where I was locked up for the next seven years. How's that for an alibi?"  
  
"One without proof or witnesses. I'm not buying. I'm not really willing to believe that my life has been a lie just yet."  
  
Yet Erin was shaken. What if spoke truth? If he had been sealed in the sacred realm, he could not have been responsible. But she had seen him!  
  
"You must have spent a lot of time around Ganondorf. You know the depth of his dark powers, so tell me something. He can warp minds right? He can alter memory, right? Put the pieces together Erin, you have been living a lie."  
  
Erin closed her eyes. She knew Ganondorf could do all of that, and more. But she could not accept it!   
  
"It can't be true" she said quietly  
  
"And the final proof has been under our noses the whole time. You think I am evil, cold and twisted."  
  
"I know it."  
  
"Two words, Erin. Dark Link."  
  
Erin realised. Dark Link was Link's equal in skill, his opposite in personality. Link continued.  
  
"If I was evil, he would be good! Is he? He carries the Black Blade! He wouldn't be able to touch that thing if he was a good man! Likewise, I once wielded the Master Sword, and if there a drop of evil in me, it would have fried me the second I set hand on it. Are you ready to believe yet!  
  
"NO! NOOOOO!" Erin screamed as the full realisation hit her. Her whole life she had been serving the Evil King, the one who really killed her family. She would have tried to kill herself had she not been tied up. She broke into fits of tears.   
  
"Erin, listen to me. I may be a fighter, but I've picked up one or two magical abilities off Zelda in my time. One is the ability to hypnotise. I'm going to break the false image in your mind, and then you can decide whether you really want to kill me."  
  
Erin nodded. This was all too much. Link moved and sat so that the fire was in-between them. He took the Biggoron sword, held it vertical with its point in the ground and spun it. Erin stared at it, the firelight reflecting off the blade, onto the walls, her face, his face. She was mesmerised. Link began to speak, focusing his mind on projecting the words in to her subconscious mind, not her conscious.  
  
"Erin, can you hear me?"  
  
"Yes" The word had come not from her mouth but from her mind. It was working.   
  
"Erin, remember the night your family were killed. Describe it to me.   
  
"A boy in a Kolkiri tunic..." Link cut her off  
  
"No Erin, look again"  
  
As her minds eye began to focus, aided by Link, the small boy grew, darkened, and was replaced by Ganondorf. She saw him decapitate her father, realising that the boy Link would never have been able to reach high enough to do it. She saw him bomb her family's tent, heard again the screams that had haunted her. She saw him as he saw her, as he walked over to her hiding place. He raised his hand to strike her, a blow that would have broken her neck, and then on a whim, stopped. She heard his voice, a voice not particularly evil in itself, but sinister in combination with its content.   
'A hand can do so many things. Kill, injure, maim. You shall do these things and more. You shall become the Hand of Ganon."  
He raised his hand, not to hurt, but palm open. It began to glow, a dark energy that enveloped her, and blinded the truth of what happened. Not this time.   
  
Link knew she had seen enough. He spun the blade the other way, and eased his concentration. Erin came out of the trance, gave Link one look, her eyes not steely anymore, but full of pain and torment. Unable to take anymore, she passed out.   
  
Link put one of the sacks over her, then put the fire out and went to sleep.  
  
When he woke the next morning, she was still out cold. Worse, the sack he had lain on was covered in blood and he felt as weak as a newborn child. Gathering his equipment and grabbing the rope handle of Erin's sled he made his way out into the sands once more.   
After an agonising hour or so, he reached the gate to Gerudo Valley. It was smashed. One gate was hanging off its hinges; the other lay shattered a full ten feet inside the compound. His trained eye took stock. The damage was a joint effort, sword slashes and physical blows. Now he knew why he had not encountered Dark Link. Dark Link had simply ripped the gate apart and left. But the gate was huge, strong and built to last. Link looked down at his gauntlet. I have to assume he has his own versions of all my equipment, he thought, that was my only advantage the last time, and now it's gone. He knew there was a confrontation coming and even if he was at one hundred percent strength it would only be fifty fifty.   
  
Inside the compound, Gerudo guards lay dead. A few still alive tended to the worst wounded, and Riana who had limited mastery over healing magic, hurried back and forth. She saw Link, and ran to him.   
  
"Link! Your dark self, he, well, you can see for your self what has happened here. He broke through this morning. Is that..." she began, gesturing at Erin on the sled. Link finished for her  
  
"The other attacker, Erin, yes. She is not threat any more, at least I don't think so."  
  
Link was feeling decidedly sleepy and light-headed again. He looked around, and saw Hylian soldiers lying in the dirt as well.   
  
"Are they..."  
  
"Hylian soldiers, yes. They arrived last night. This is bad news Link, I warn you."  
  
"Just tell me"  
  
"Very well. They arrived late last night, lead by Princess Zelda and your friend Malon was with them too. We held conference in the Main hall discussing the best course of action. Then, as the sun rose early in they morning, the sentry reported someone that looked like you at the gate. We all ran out into the yard. We realised as the gate was opening that it was not you, and just managed to slam them closed, but it was no good. He smashed them with impunity, and cut through our combined forces like a knife through butter."  
  
"Zelda? Malon?"  
  
"Dark Link took Zelda. Malon was wounded by that cursed sword of his.   
She is dying."  
  
"No!" He cried, though as barely more than a whisper. All strength had left him. He had failed his closest friends. His world spun, and he crashed to the ground.  
  
For the next few hours, Link drifted in and out of consciousness. He was lying in a bed, from the look of the walls he was in the Fortress. Then, Riana was over him, speaking to someone outside his field of vision.   
  
"I can't seem to be able to heal him. The wound will not close, by conventional or magical methods" He drifted out.  
  
He next came to about an hour later. Riana was still there. Summoning what little strength he had left into his vocal cords, he spoke softly.  
  
"Malon?"  
  
"Same as you. You are both dying slowly and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I am sorry."  
  
"Erin?"  
  
"Link, Erin is gone. She came round half an hour after you passed out. She escaped her restraints, stole a horse and left."  
  
Link squeezed his eyes shut. Why had she left? He had healed her hadn't he? Had he? Or had she been unable to change her ways regardless? He turned his head to the side to see Malon in the bed next to his, lying still.   
  
"I am unable to understand why I cannot heal you wound. Malon's is simply too severe, but my power should be able to help you?"   
  
"Because the dagger I stabbed him with was cursed." came a voice from behind  
  
Riana spun on her heel reaching for her sword. It was Erin. She held up her hand the show she meant no harm.   
  
"Normal magic will not work on wounds inflicted with the dagger. It will take something a little more potent to heal it. Something like this..."  
  
She brought her other hand out from behind her back, holding in it a bottle, contained in which was a fairy.   
  
"How did you get that?" Riana asked  
  
"I took a trip to the Lost Woods. There is a fairy fountain there, it's the only one I know of"  
  
"You have only been gone a few hours. The Lost Woods are on the other side of Hyrule." Riana was still sceptical.   
  
"I rode real fast." Said Erin bluntly, tiring of the interrogation. "I could take it back if you like"  
  
Riana stepped aside. Erin knelt by Link's bedside.  
  
"For what it's worth Link, I'm sorry. That I stabbed you, that I got you into this situation, that I dragged your friends in as well. This is only a small repayment for your kindness."  
  
As she tried to open the bottle, Link stopped her.  
  
"Use it on Malon."  
  
"What? Link, I only have one of these, and it's for you."  
  
"Please. She needs it more than I. Please!"  
  
Erin saw the iron will in his eyes, and turned to Malon's bed. Malon had been awake and listening the whole time, saving her strength to speak.   
  
"No, Link, you can't." She rolled to face him.  
  
"Malon! You need this, you'll die!"  
  
"And you won't? Link, if the one behind all this misery is Ganondorf, the one you told me about, then I can't fight him. I can't fight Dark Link. No one can beat them but you! And if you don't, we are all doomed. Listen to me. You have to be healed. Use the fairy."  
  
Link knew she was right. It was her or everyone else in Hyrule. It didn't make it any easier.   
  
"I can't bear to see you like this."  
  
"You think it's any easier for me to watch you?" She forced a smile "Take the damn fairy Mr. Hero of Time."  
  
Try as he might, Link couldn't return the smile. He nodded at Erin, who released the fairy.  
  
The healing abilities of a fairy have to be seen to be believed. It circled his body, trailing sparkling energy that was absorbed into him. As it used up its energy, it shrank and vanished. Almost immediately Link leapt to his feet, the wounds on his shoulder and midsection gone, without trace of scab or scar. As her grabbed his equipment from the table beside the bed, Riana spoke.   
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
Link replied with utter certainty  
  
"I am going to get the Master Sword. I am going to kill Dark Link. I am going to kill Ganondorf. I am going to save Zelda, and I am going to find a way to heal Malon, so don't you dare die on me. I'll be back"  
  
As he turned and headed for the door, Erin spoke  
  
"And I'm coming with you"  
  
Link didn't speak, just turned to look at her. She continued  
  
"I swore that I would have vengeance on the murderer of my family. I though it was you, but I was deceived. I now know that it was Ganondorf thanks to you. I'm coming with you. If I can't kill him, I'll help you do it."  
  
Again, Link didn't speak, but did grin and gesture to the door in a gentlemanly fashion.  



	4. Mirror Image - Part 4

They mounted their horses, still tethered outside, and rode full gallop for Hyrule Town. Erin shouted over to Link  
  
"What's your plan?"  
  
"I'm going to retrieve the Master Sword. It's the only way I can beat Dark Link and Ganondorf. We have to get to the Temple of Time as soon as possible. After that... I don't know. If Dark Link took Zelda into the Sacred Realm, we don't have long before he draws out her part of the Triforce, the Force of Wisdom, and adds it to his own Force of Power. Then he will be almost unbeatable, and he will break down the sages seal and re-enter Hyrule. I guess we will have to fight them on their own ground."  
  
"Great. Well Link, you sure know how to show a girl a good time." Erin smiled.   
  
They rode on.  
  
The other side of Hyrule, in Kakariko graveyard, Dark Link checked no one was looking, and then pulled the slab of stone that lay before him. Several heaves later, it was off, revealing a small tight stairway. He grabbed the gagged and bound Zelda and put her over his shoulder, then made his way down the steps. They lead into a small chamber, at the end of which was the portal to the Sacred Realm that Ganondorf had opened to allow him through. It was like a window in the air, shimmering and aglow with light. Ganondorf himself could not travel through such doorways, his own power worked against him because the portal could not take it. But the main portal in the Temple of Time would. Dark Link was worried about how Ganondorf would react to him not having killed Link, but he was sure that his offering of Zelda and her piece of the Triforce would appease him. Maybe then he wouldn't need Link's blood the break the seal. Dark Link stepped through the doorway, into the Sacred Realm.   
  
A harsh wind whipped at him as he stepped out the other side. The portal came out at the base of what had once been the Temple of Light. But years of occupation by the King of Evil had corrupted the entire Sacred Realm into a Dark World, a wretched and broken land, and the massive Pyramid that had been the Temple was now Ganondorf's Citadel. Dark Link made his way up the steps to the entrance about a third of the way up, through a huge arch way, in which was engraved all manner of evil incantations. Torchlight lit the hallway beyond, which was lined with pillars, and to either side, channels of black, viscous fluid. Dark Link hadn't a clue what the stuff was, but he wasn't going to find out the hard way. He made his way up another staircase into the main chamber, once the resting place of the Triforce. The stair came up through the floor on the far side. In the center of the room was a small pyramid, surrounded by a walkway and then a moat of the black stuff, with a bridge over it opposite the stairwell. On the other side, between the base of the pyramid and the bridge was a small raised platform, on which was engraved an image of the Triforce. It was the Dark World side of the main portal, the other end being in the Temple of Time. The top of the pyramid was cut off, and on the flat platform at the top was a throne. A throne constructed of human remains. The arms and back ended with skulls, the legs made of leg bones, the arms of arm bones, the back of spines. And sat on this was the King of Evil himself, Ganondorf Dragmire, clad in inch thick black armor, his eyes burning red with hatred. Dark Link crossed the bridge and knelt at the foot of the pyramids steps.   
  
"My lord, Link lives. But I offer you Princess Zelda and her part of the Triforce. I hope this pleases you."  
  
Ganondorf stirred on his throne, then spoke.  
  
"Yes, this offering pleases me greatly. I will now have two parts of the Triforce. And with their power and wisdom, I shall take the third from that cursed Link. Then I shall rule what is destined to be mine! Did you meet my Hand, Erin, on your journey, dark one?"  
  
"Yes my lord. I last saw her pursue Link into the wasteland. I know not what happened there after."  
  
"Never mind. Return to Hyrule, my dark one. Go to the Temple of Time. If Link tries to retrieve the Master Sword, stop him. I shall begin the ritual to draw the Force of Wisdom from Zelda. Go."  
  
"Yes my lord."  
  
Dark Link turned and left, pride swelling inside him. He had pleased the Evil King, and he would do so again. Link would not lay hand on the Master Sword. He left the Pyramid and returned to Hyrule, racing for the Temple of Time on horseback.  
  
As Link and Erin closed on Hyrule town, Link spotted Dark Link coming from the opposite direction. He growled and spurred Epona on, faster and faster. Now it was a race.   
  
Dark Link saw his counterpart at roughly the same time. As the pair shifted into high gear, Erin was unable to keep up. Link reached the drawbridge a second ahead of Dark Link, and then they were racing through the streets. Dark Link drew level and pulled his sword, and swung at Link, who dodged it. A cart was being pulled across the street by a stubborn donkey, Link saw and grabbed his bow and arrow, and with lightning speed loosed one at the cart coupling. The arrow flew true and severed the coupling, dropping the front end of the cart and spilling its load of fruit. The object of that was to distract Dark Links attention and stop his sword attacks and it worked and as both steeds leapt the obstacle, Link drew ahead once more. They were getting close to the Temple now, and Link had an idea to slow Dark Link down. He pulled his feet out of the stirrups and carefully stood up in the saddle, no easy feat considering Epona was going flat out. As he passed a wooden post holding up a shop canopy, he jumped and grabbed it, swinging round it in a tight circle and letting go as Dark Link passed. He had timed it perfectly, and both his feet crunched into the side of Dark Links head, sending him flying from his horse and smashing into a stone wall. He struggled to his feet, but Link had landed upright, and shoulder barged him through the wall with a crash of breaking masonry. He turned and ran for the Temple, not waiting to see if he was out cold.   
  
He wasn't. Dark Link roared in rage, shoved the brickwork off him and charged after Link, but he had a big head start.  
  
Link barged his way through the big outer doors, and sprinted through the main hall, across the red carpet, vaulted the pedestal of the spiritual stones and stood before the Door of Time. He had neither the stones nor the Ocarina of Time, but there was a way in. Zelda had used her magic to bind the Door of Time to open only for those with the mark of the Triforce on the backs of their hand, a mark that signified that they held one of the three Forces. There was a fist-sized hole in the center of the Door, Link thrust his hand inside and grabbed the bar inside. Light shone forth from the hole, the bar slid to the side, and the door split and opened. Dark Link entered the Temple, yelled and ran at Link, who jumped up to the podium, went to the pedestal in the center, and almost sighing with exultation, gripped the hilt of the Master Sword, and pulled.  
  
It didn't budge.   
  
"Aww, c'mon, don't do this to me!" Link cursed, trying to figure out what was wrong, but then Dark Link was upon him. He ducked a horizontal swing from the Black Blade, grabbed his adversary's arm and twisted it so that he dropped the sword. Link kicked it away with his boot, but still he felt a jolt in his leg like lightning had struck it. As the two began to exchange blows, Link realized that with all his rush to beat Dark Link here, he must have arrived too early. The dark future had not yet been totally overwritten, but how long had he to go? At this precise instant in the other timeline, he was toe to toe with Ganon.   
  
Erin had caught up, and ran for the dueling pair, catching Link's eye and distracting his attention. Dark Link took full advantage and punched Link right in the chest, knocking him backwards and too the floor. At that instant, the Master Sword began to glow, and everyone in the room froze, staring at it. Link's eyes meet Dark Link's, held for a second, then they both moved with lightning speed. Dark Link dived for the Black Blade, snatched it up at dived back at Link, swinging the evil sword with all his strength. Link ran forward and pulled the Master Sword clear of the pedestal, and, finally re-united with the sword of legend, swung it at Dark Link with all his strength.  
  
But before the blades met, the room flooded with blue light, and everyone was frozen in place. Link and Dark Link diving at each other, their swords about to clash, Erin standing back, not knowing what to do, and then the look of confusion followed by understanding in thee eyes of the trio. By pulling the Master Sword, Link just activated the main portal to the Sacred Realm/Dark World. The light intensified grew brighter until it blanked out everything, then faded. When it had gone, they were in the Pyramid.   
  
Suddenly, everything un-froze, and events carried on. The two crackling blades impacted at full force, and the unexpected resulting concussion shock wave, sent everyone flying through the air. Erin, who had been standing a little way back was just knocked to the ground. Link and Dark Link soared in opposite directions like powerful magnets repelling each other. Link hit the ground hard on the other side of the bridge, nearly falling down the stairwell and Dark Link crunched into the steps of the smaller pyramid that was the base of Ganondorf's throne. Except as Dark Link spat blood and turned around, Ganondorf wasn't on his throne. He must be in another part of this place performing the ritual, he thought. But for now, he had a battle royal to attend to. He began to walk to the bridge.   
  
Link pulled himself to his feet, knowing that it was make or break time. He held the Master Sword in a two-handed grip, and also walked back towards the bridge. As the two warriors closed, the air became heavy and charged, as if in the presence of opposing fields of force. They walked faster, they eyes never leaving each other's, then broke into a run, yearning for righteous battle. Once more their swords clashed, but they had steeled themselves for the recoil effect and held steady. Sparks flew between the blades, but still their eyes were locked.   
  
Dark Link brought his blade down in an overhead swing, but Link side stepped it and elbowed him in the side of the head, sending him down on one knee. Link spun and stabbed, but Dark Link had moved, ducking to the side and swinging horizontally. Link jumped it and back-flipped over Dark Link, and they clashed again, hammer-blows that sent jolt up their arms and rattled their brains. Link took a drive and kicked out at Dark Link's leg, but failed to connect as he swung down at him. Link rolled to the side to avoid the blade, flipped upright and fought on.   
  
The struggle for supremacy raged back and forth across the bridge, neither warrior gaining an inch, the swords never striking home. Erin could only stand by as the Links fought, scarcely able to register their movements. They were reacting to each other and attacking at such speed she couldn't keep up. As she watched, she was filled with a furious helplessness, that she could not assist Link. Link... As she had traveled with him to the Temple, they had talked, and she had learned much about him, began to understand the depth of his compassion, the goodness in his heart, the ingrained desire to protect that which he held dear, all that which had saved her life and her mind. And a feeling was growing inside her, and force she could not identify with. She could not know it, but it was the same warm but confused emotion that Link was carrying too. She couldn't just stand by anymore, she had to assist him, even if it got her killed. She could see now that there was more at stake here than her life and her quest for revenge. She smiled wryly. She had been a cold killer all her life, determined to kill Link, and within a week of finally meeting him, his Mr. Nice Guy act was rubbing off on her and she was part of the fight to save Hyrule. She grabbed a chunk of rock knocked loose after Dark Links collision with the pyramid, and moved to hit him with it.   
  
The fighters were tiring, and still neither had an advantage. The constant barrage of attacks and counter-attacks were taking their toll, and the blows being exchanged were shadows of the hammer-blows that had gone before. As Erin brought the rock down on the back of Dark Link's neck, he howled in pain and spun and hit her. Her timing had been flawed, and Link was not close enough to deliver the killing blow. The punch knocked her over the side of the bridge, only for her to grab the ledge at the last minute and remain dangling over the moat of black ichor. Link ran up and kicked Dark Link in the chest, sending him sprawling long enough for him to reach down and pull Erin back up over the edge. But events took a terrible turn. Dark Link recovered sooner than expected. Looking at his unprotected back, he realized he had found Links weakness. His act of saving that girl had ended his chances of winning this fight. Dark Link drove the Black Blade into Links back and ran him through with it.  
  
As Erin looked at Link, the point of the blade burst from his chest. Crackling black lightning engulfed his figure, and he threw back his head and screamed in utter soul piercing agony as the Black Blade did its terrible work. Dark Link pulled the sword free and steeped back as Link hit the ground like a piece of meat.   
  
"Link, NO!!" was as she could yell as her attempt to "assist" went horribly wrong. She had tried to help him and it had gotten him killed. As she filled with rage and horror at what she had done, she knew that self-blame would have to come later. As Dark Link stood there a mocking look of triumph on his face, she did something he would never have expected. She crouched, then dived headlong at him, grabbing the Master Sword from Links hand.   
  
She knew a split second before she did so that the experience would not be pleasant, but there was no other weapon that would take Dark Link down. As her hands clutch the hilt of the legendary blade, pain wracked her being as lightning blazed about her, identical to what had happened to Link but the light was white. She had aimed herself close enough to Dark Link to make him think she was coming straight at him, but she actually landed further back at to the side as she had planned. As white pain almost blinded her, she focused her strength and leapt to her feet. Dark Link turned to face her, but too late. She screamed in pain, but she had reached her target. She brought the Master Sword up and sliced it across his belly, cutting deep. She swung diagonally and cut a swathe across his ribcage. Finally, she rammed it into his torso, and he fell, never once uttering a sound. Erin's agony eased as the power of the sword struck at a soul darker than hers, and she dropped the sword, which had almost welded itself to her hands.   
  
Pushing back the pain, she ran back to Link. One eye opened; he was still alive, but hanging on by a thread. She broke down.  
  
"My god I'm so sorry... what have I done... who will fight Ganondorf now?... my fault..."  
  
Link's tired and dying mind forced his vocal cords to speak.   
  
"Take me... to... him..."  
  
Erin did as she was told, dragging his broken body over to where that of his dark counterpart lay. As his life force left him, Link moved his hand onto Dark Link's chest and muttered a few indecipherable words. The Triforce symbol on the back of his hand began to glow. He's calling on the powers of the Force of Courage, Erin thought, but what does he mean to do? The ethereal glow slowly spread to cover the bodies of both Links, but began to fade as Link faltered. With one last surge of effort, he focused all of his mind, body and soul, all his wisdom, power and courage. The glow picked up again, grew, intensified until Erin could not see either Link. And when the light faded, she reeled in shock. Only one body lay before her, where there had once been two. He was in Links clothes, but was it him? What the hell had he done? She looked him over. The wounds that had felled both of them were gone, but her attempts to wake the figure failed. Well, looks like whatever he did had side effects, she figured. She decided that no good could come from hanging around in Ganondorf's Pyramid, so she endured one last round of burning pain to get the Master Sword into Links scabbard, then kicked the Black Blade into the river of black stuff, hoping that would be the end of it. She struggled to get Link's prone form onto her shoulder, then descended the seemingly endless staircase, then out into the harsh existence of the Dark World.   



	5. Mirror Image - Part 5

Darkness.  
Nothing more, nothing less than an all-encompassing blackness. Not only in terms of colour or lack thereof, but a sensation, an instinctive feeling. Not a thing to be feared, it imbues a sense of security and comfort, like a child wrapped in a snug blanket. A figure drifts in the center, feeling singularly at ease as a tremendous sensation of well being envelopes him. But it does not last.  
In the darkness a single pinprick of pure brilliant light opens. Tiny, but blinding nonetheless. The figure stirs, torn between wanting to experience it, and the familiar comfort of the darkness. It begins to grow; the pinprick grows to a tear, to an opening. The darkness recedes as the light floods in, and it consumes him.  
  
And, like the slow stirring of a heavy sleeper roused from a comfortable slumber, he slowly wakens. Too soon to open his eyes, he tries to identify by touch, feeling sand on his face, coarse and gritty. There is water lapping around the lower half of his body, and there is the heat of the sun on his back. Unable to hear anything other than the splashing of the waves and the beating of his heart, he slowly opens his eyes, plants his palms in the sand and forces his body upwards, bringing his legs in so he was able to kneel upright. More light, natural light this time, not the brilliance of before but still, it hurt his eyes, so he shields them with his hand until they adjust. As they do, he is presented with his first view of the surroundings; he is lying alone on a beach, clothes soaked from the seawater. The beach is a tropical one, white sand, palm trees and clear water. As he struggled to his feet, still groggy from sleep, he tried to recall where he was, but the place was not familiar. Here he was, new to this land but how did he get here? He seemed to have lost all memory of the chain of events that transpired to bring him here. He tried to think back, but every time he tried to access a memory, it vanished. He began to panic, grabbing at strands, trying to remember a time before, but his life is like the hazy recollection of half-remembered dream, and the more he tried to remember, the more he forgot. As all he knew slipped away from him, he was faced with the horrible truth.   
  
He is lost, within and without.  
  
Reeling from this revelation, he staggered backwards and tilted his head skywards in a desperate, silent scream, but as his vision was directed upwards he saw, saw... it.   
  
Words could not describe its natural beauty. A mile or so inland, a gargantuan cylindrical column of rock stretches skyward. But, it shines, sends out light in all directions like a beacon or lighthouse. How can this be? Then, as clouds hid the sun, he could see than the pillar was not purely of rock, but also of crystal. It ran through the rock like a spider web, giving the impression that this massive rock had been shattered into a thousand pieces, but had been rebuilt using the crystal to fill the cracks. And then, the sun emerged once more, and again, reflecting the sunlight, the crystal monolith shone and sparkled, and bathed the land in its beauty. His fears, his apprehensions melted away, and he was utterly mesmerised...  
  
He must have stood for an hour or more, just staring before he snapped out of it. Blinking his eyes, his survival instincts kicked in. There was no wreckage on the beach that would indicate a shipwreck, and therefore nothing he could salvage. He checked himself, no injuries asides from muscle fatigue and a curious numb pain in the center of his chest, but no wounds. His tunic was almost dry, and as he brushed the sand off it, he spotted a odd golden tattoo on the back of his hand, three triangles forming a larger one, one of the smaller triangles more prominent that the others. As he touched it with his other hand, images blazed a trail through his mind. A girl in a pink and white dress with a tattoo on her hand too, a huge armoured man with blazing eyes, also with a tattoo. A sword in its pedestal. The images left him as quickly as they had came, leaving him with only an echo of a whisper of a word, Ryforce? Triforge? He had to put these questions out of his mind; his survival had to come first. He decided to venture inland through the rainforest ahead of him.   
  
He pushed through the rainforest, making his way through the dense undergrowth as best he could, and suddenly he noticed that there were no birds, no animals, nothing all living other than him. That wasn't right, he thought, an island like this should be teeming with life! There wasn't so much as a mosquito trying to bite him. After a further few minutes trek he came across a stream. Thankful for clean water, he washed his face and drank deeply from it. Then suddenly, another vision gripped him. Water, a lake full of water, a small island in the middle, an entrance below it. Water again, this time in, in a fountain, a floating figure of light rising out of it and speaking to him without words. Then the lake again, the setting sun reflected off of the water's surface, but what was it called? Then as the vision faded, a voice, clearer this time, "Lake Hylia..."  
  
Lake Hylia? As he shook his head to clear his mind, the sun really had begun to set. How long had the vision lasted? There was no way of knowing for sure at the moment. He followed the stream until, unexpectedly, it ended as a waterfall over a small cliff ahead. The sun was behind him, the crystal monolith ahead, and as the light of sunset was reflected it was a wonderful sight to behold. Then a soft breeze blew, running its airy finger through his hair, and more flashes of memory returned to him. The breeze, a huge field, a compound in the middle, a walled town with drawbridge. Then the voice as each image passed, "Hyrule field, Lon Lon Ranch, Hyrule town". But then the images repeated, and he heard two more names; "Malon, Zelda", and at hearing them, he knew something was wrong. They were in danger, they needed him, and he wasn't there for them. But where was there, and where in relation to here, and for that matter where was here? Once more the images faded.   
  
It was night-time now, the sky was clear but there were no stars were shining. But somehow, the atmosphere had changed. Darkness was all around, not merely the black of night. He felt shivers up his spine, and in his mind, he sensed the presence of another. No animal, no bird, but another being like him. A terrible feeling of urgency gnawed him; he had to reach the crystal monolith. His visions would have to wait. But it was too dark, with no stars and no moon there was perfect night. He stepped forward, unsure of his position in relation to the waterfall, and fell off the edge. He hit the water and went under, began kicking wildly to reach up to the air. He broke the surface and gasped in the oxygen he needed, and started swimming blindly in one direction until he hit the shallows. He stood up and walked on to solid ground, only to trip over a rock and crash into the dirt. This was ridiculous. How was he supposed to get anywhere like this, without light? Then, as if were reading his thoughts, that same voice replied. "You are the light. Focus that light and release it." He had no idea what the voice meant, but he was all out of better ideas. He struggled to his feet once more, and tried to focus his mind on the light. At first, there was nothing, only the feeling of total idiocy as he stood there, in the dark, dripping wet with his eyes shut like it made a difference and his arms outstretched. Then, as he forgot about how stupid he felt and began to really concentrate, the unbelievable happened. He no longer felt wet and cold. He opened one eye, then the other, to see light all around him piercing the darkness. What was more incredible was the fact that the light was coming from him. He lifted up his arm, it was glowing, pure, white light, as was the rest of him. He pushed with his mind, trying to enlarge the aura of light around him, and it grew as he concentrated. He could see! He could make out in the huge silhouette ahead; he was close. The forest was thinning out now; he broke into a run clearing the last few trees and across the open plain that lay between him and his goal. As he raced closer, illuminating the area as he went, he somehow knew that the other being must be doing the exact same thing on the other side. This feeling of duality was disconcerting, but he pushed on. As he finally reached the foot of the monolith he realised there was no way in. In his own mind he questioned this, why had he expected there to be a way in? It was huge colossus of rock and crystal, why would there be an inside? But as his eyes searched the rock face and its crystal strata, his gaze fell upon what looked like the imprint of a hand. He shook his head. This was no ordinary island. Everything had been planned; he was just following the path that seemed to be laid out for him. He pressed his hand into the imprint; there was a rumble, and a section of rock collapsed, revealing a passageway. He shook his head incredulously once more. "Be kind O fate" he muttered, and walked inside.   
  
His breath was snatched away as he entered the interior. All trace of rock had gone, and what was left was nothing less than a cathedral of crystal. There was a solid column in the center with a platform at the very top, and all around it curved a maze of gravity defying paths, twisting and turning their way the upper reaches of the monolith. But the other being was here too, and at this proximity he realised, If I am the Light, then he is the Darkness. And he could feel it, resonating through the crystal, but his light was there too, keeping balance. He saw to his left a slope leading up to the aerial maze above, and he made his run for it. And as he began to scale the interior, they could see each other. He was following his own path, running like a man possessed for the platform. They were even, as it seemed they had always been. He felt his path steepen, yet his feet held to it firm. The path forked ahead, he took the higher one, only to realise it dipped again soon after. With no time to turn back, he took his chances and leaped for a nearby walkway that showed more promise and made it perfectly. He began to wonder if it were possible for him to fall, but decided not to take his chances. The dark figure came into view again, only to raise an arm in his direction and shoot some kind of ball of dark energy. He rolled forwards and carried on, the attack hitting the wall behind him. Two can play at that game, he thought, I've got an aura too. He raised his own arm at the path the other was running on and focused on projecting his energy in a ball. And, sure enough, an attack of his own shot forth, slamming into the area just before the dark man's feet. The section of the path collapsed, but his adversary had reacted and jumped the gap. But now the dark man was trailing him, he was higher. He was about three-quarters of the way up, the platform drew ever closer, but then the path exploded underneath him and sent him flying. The dark man had destroyed it from underneath. He flailed as he fell, trying to grab something, but before he had been falling long his hands gripped something. He was hanging onto the outer wall with no visible support. What is this? He thought, can my aura grip the crystal? It seemed so, as he started to climb, slow at first, but as he found his confidence, faster. Once he had reached a point near where he had fallen, he kicked off of the wall and landed on walkway. No need to take the paths, he realised, I can do this freestyle. He jumped to the center column, climbed and pushed off, grabbing the underside of another and swinging round to land on top. He ran along and then jumped straight up to grab a path that passed above. Once on top of this he backflipped on to one closer to the central column and turned to see that this was the final pathway that lead directly to the top. He broke into a sprint and jumped the gap and landed on the uppermost platform. He had made it. There was a large shard of crystal in the center of the platform, and as he looked around, a hand grabbed the edge of the platform. The dark figure pulled himself up, as he looked him straight in the face. His face. Their faces were the same! Both reeled back in shock, neither at all comprehending this final twist. He looked back to the shard. It had two hand imprints. The dark figure was the first to speak.  
  
"Do it. Let's end this madness."  
  
They walked to either side of the shard and placed their hands in the indentations. And like a floodgate being opened, where by the visions of before were but trickles, now a tidal wave of memories rushed his mind, full recollection was granted him, and he was his true self once more.   
  
He was Link. The Hero of Time, the Defender of Hyrule. Bearer of the Force of Courage. He had used its power to merge their dying bodies, to combine their power and turn it on Ganondorf. But Dark Link had survived, and the mind of the new body had been inhabited by both, and now they must decide who would remain.   
  
"You bastard. You merged us!"  
  
"And you stabbed me in the back. I guess that makes us even."  
  
"You didn't bet on my consciousness remaining. Only one of us will awaken fool, and I plan on it being me. I will kill that traitor Erin, and deliver the Force of Courage to Ganondorf."  
  
"Which is exactly why I'm going to stop you. Our battle ends here for the last time."   
  
The two stepped around the side of the shard to face each other, each moving into a fighting stance. Link could feel the air was laden with energy, two forces, equal and opposite facing each other down. Link focused, his aura beginning to glow. Dark Link followed suit, a black cloud of charge outlining him. And then it begun. They launched themselves at each other with lightning speed, Link punching, Dark Link blocking. And as their swords had done before, their energies discharged, sparks flying between them. Dark Link spun on one heel, his other leg swinging in a roundhouse kick at head height, but Link had ducked, and tried to sweep his legs out from under him with a kick of his own, only for him to react and back-flip out of the way. And as soon as Dark Link landed, he threw himself at Link once more, but this time landing to the side, swinging round and uppercutting Link in the ribs, who countered by elbowing him in the cheekbone. Recovering quickly, Dark Link brought his knee up and caught Link in the base of the spine, causing him to drop to his knees with an agonised curse. Seeing his opponent prone, he raised his hands above his head and brought them down in a double fisted thump meant his neck, but Link rolled to one side and kicked him hard in the lower leg, sending him down hard. Soon both were one their feet and facing off once more. Both their palms locked together in a test of strength, trying to push each other back or to their knees, but neither budged nor backed down. As they pushed against each other with everything they had, their power fields grew in intensity, the crackling rising to a roaring of discharging energy balancing each other out, a fierce bombardment of raw force. The entire structure began to shake, the crystal resonating with furious intensity. As each combatant still drove into the other, the crystal began to lose integrity, hairline cracks turning to large fractures lacing the whole outer wall. The complex web of pathways collapsed one by one, smashing others in their descent and finally crashing into the floor far below. The whole monolith was coming apart, unable to withstand the intensity of the battle. But the power fields continued to increase and expand, the fighters heedless of the consequences of the structure collapsing. Link found his strength beginning to falter, giving way to Dark Link by millimetres, tiny but terrifying. He knew the cost of failure, Dark Link would take control of the new body and kill Erin, Ganondorf would possess the whole Triforce, Zelda would die, along with Malon and countless others. Hyrule would fall under his control for all time and no-one would be able to oppose him. As he saw in his minds eye all this and more, he found the inner strength to resist. His slow slide stopped, and he realised he was growling under his breath. He tapped in further to that inner strength, let it come to the surface, and then, with a roar from the depths of his soul, he released it in one mighty barrage. His aura, already sizeable, expanded rapidly, white lightning crackling across the surface. And then, in a split second the entire outer wall, the roof, every part of the monolith save the center column exploded outward in a maelstrom of shattered crystal and rock. The debris rained down over the entire island. But it was still night outside, and suddenly Dark Link, who had begun to falter seemed to be revitalised by the darkness, and with a outpouring of black rage they were even again. But seeing no way to win in this stalemate, he released from Link's grip, and catching him off guard punched him hard in the gut. Link went down on one knee, and Dark Link followed up with a flurry of punches and kicks to his torso and head. Link fell, his energy gone, his aura almost invisible. He landed on his back near the edge of the platform, his head tilted back over the edge. Dark Link stood over him in triumph.  
  
"Looks like luck wasn't on your side brother. Game over, I win, you lose, you die. Look, the darkness is everywhere. Darkness can exist with no trace of Light, but with Light there are always shadows. That is why you can never win. To eradicate all trace of Darkness is impossible, because it is natural, and a part of human nature. Light is created, attained, and can be extinguished just as easily. Just as I extinguish your light. Goodbye brother."  
  
Dark Link stooped over Link, one arm pulled back, ready to plunge forth and pluck out Link's heart. But then, on the far horizon, dawn began to break, rays of morning light struck the column, played over the pair. Dark Link stumbled back, the light hurting his eyes. And, just as the black of night re-energised Dark Link, the break of day imbued Link with a new-found reserve of life force. He brought his hands to his chest, and willed his new energy into them. With one he reached up and grabbed the front of Dark Links cloak, holding him in place.  
  
"Just because Light has to be attained or created does not make it unnatural. It makes it a rarer, more valuable thing. It gives life, and true strength, not an empty parody. But you will never understand that. Goodbye, BROTHER!"  
  
Link summoned all his power into his other hand, outstretched his arm and placed it on Dark Link's chest, and released the light. Dark Link was shot into the air on a beam of white energy, propelled higher and higher, until, with an unholy, terrible scream, the beam detonated in an explosion of light. Dark Link was disintegrated, his spirit destroyed for all time.   
  
Finally, Link understood everything. This island was his mindscape, representing his unconscious mind. And the crystal, so sparkling and brilliant was crippling him, created by the overloading presence of two consciousnesses in one mind. But now only one remained, but so did the crystal. The column, the shard. Link walked the center shard, raised his fist high and brought down hard. The large shard shattered, falling into pieces that faded away and disappeared. The platform, the entire column began to crack and fall away and vanish. The base of the column exploded and everything above it followed suit. As the floor fell out from beneath his feet, Link remained in mid-air watching as the last chunks of crystal crashed the ground and faded out of existence. He was free. He looked up into the sky, and began to rise. He stretched out his arms as he soared into the sky, his body and mind healed and re-united as he closed his eyes and woke up. 


	6. Mirror Image - Part 6

Erin finally stopped and put Link down. She had put a good distance between them and the pyramid after crossing a large expanse of barren, rocky tundra. She knew that the would have to go back there, but if she had stayed any closer, Ganondorf might have sensed them and sent someone or something out to go after them. She had not detected anyone following them, but that didn't mean that it couldn't have happened. This was the Dark World, Ganondorf's home turf now, and nothing could be ruled out.  
  
Link was still unconscious, so Erin propped him up against a rock. She reached for water canteen at her hip and tried to make him drink some of it. When she was satisfied that he had had enough she sat back down opposite him, exhausted. That trek had really taken it out of her, she needed to rest too. After quenching her own thirst, and checking all their equipment was in order, she sat down opposite him.  
  
She looked up at Link. He had done it again. Saved her life, heedless of his own. What was it that drove him to do such things? He was the only one who could save Hyrule, if he died all hope was lost but here he was, sticking his neck out time and again to save her. He was incredible, the way he had fought two opponents with an injury to his shoulder and come out on top back at the Gerudo fortress, then how he had bested her again at the spirit temple without weapons even after she had stabbed him, and even more astoundingly how he had gone on to spare her life, and take her back across the wasteland. She could see now that was his true strength, not his skill with the sword but his inner light, his amazing heart. She remembered the look in his eyes, back on the bridge in Ganondorf's pyramid, just after he had saved her and just before Dark Link had run him though. She could see into the depths of his soul and all that existed there was love and kindness and courage, the courage to go the distance, to triumph in the face of insurmountable odds, to achieve what ordinary people would not dare to dream of. Truly, he was the Hero of Time, the Hero of Heroes.  
  
She remembered that look now, the compassion and strength as he held her, how he looked as if he had been about to say something…  
  
I love you…  
  
No, it couldn't be. It just could not be that he could hold those feelings for her, a tainted soul with no hope of salvation, no chance of redemption for her sins. But as she looked at him she knew the feeling in her heart was love.  
  
She was torn from her epiphany by a low rumbling sound, and the ground around her began to shake. Ganondorf must have found them. She pulled her sword from its sheath. Link still showed no sign of waking, so it was up to her to defend him until he did. As the rumbling reached its climax the ground began to break up, and one by one, stalfos began to claw their way out.  
  
She spoke to the shambling skeletons.  
  
"You shall not have him. He is mine!"  
  
The stalfos charged.  
  
Link felt himself beginning to wake. Was he really awake this time or still locked in his mindscape? As he opened one eye for a cursory examination of his surroundings, he was greeted by a stalfos with its sword raised high, about to strike him. But before it could, a second sword neatly removed its head. The rest of its skeleton fell to pieces as Link clambered to his feet. Almost as surprisingly, Erin ran and wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"You're awake! Link, you're back, are you alright?"  
  
"What? Yeah, I guess I'm fine, what happened?" Link replied  
  
"After… whatever trick you pulled back in the pyramid, I carried you out here, and then…"  
  
Erin was cut off as Link shoved her to one side and landed a kick to the chest of a stalfos that had been about to strike. It flew backward through the air and slammed into a rock pillar and shattered into its component bones. The rock then cracked and fell to pieces too, much to Link's and Erin's amazement.  
  
"Well, looks like it worked then."  
  
"What did?"  
  
"That trick I pulled. I combined mine and Dark Link's bodies and powers. There was of course a bit of a dispute over ownership, but let's just say I evicted him" Link finished with a wink.  
  
"Will it be enough to beat Ganondorf?"  
  
"I don't know. If he hasn't extracted the Force of Wisdom from Zelda, I can probably beat him. If he has, this could get real unpleasant." Link picked up his equipment.  
  
"How far are we from the pyramid?"  
  
"Not too far, you can see it from over here."  
  
As they walked on, Link did a double take on Erin. This girl was really something else. She had carried him all the way out here, then proceeded to protect him from a large amount of attacking stalfos, judging by the number of piles of bones scattered around the area. But why? They hadn't exactly got off on the right foot, her trying to kill him and him knocking her out and tying her up, and he assumed she was only with him now because she wanted a shot at Ganondorf. Well, he had shown her the truth about her past, and she had healed him with a fairy back at the Gerudo fortress, and he had saved her life back on the bridge…  
  
Whoa, slow down Link, he thought, are you falling for Erin? That was crazy, that couldn't… but he had been about to say it, hadn't he? Back on the bridge, just after he pulled her up, he had been about to say it…  
  
I love you…  
  
But that little moment of intimacy had been cut short by several feet of black sword, so who knows what would have happened. But as he followed her up the ridge his eyes were fixed on her, on her attractive profile, on her hair around her shoulders…  
  
Ah, snap out of it, he told himself, this ain't the time or the place. Besides, there was no way she could feel that way about him. So he was the Hero of Time, big deal, that just made him more dangerous to be around. Just look what had happened to Malon. Regardless, he had other matters to take care of now, for example the showdown with the King of Evil that was looming on the horizon.  
  
She turned and caught his gaze just as they reached the top of the hill that led down into the expanse she had crossed. They held it for a few seconds before both turning away, embarrassed. But then they looked down and saw that the once barren plain between them and the pyramid was now filled with an army of stalfos, zombies, lizalfos and a whole host of other dark creatures not doubt under Ganondorf's command.  
  
"He's planning a second invasion of Hyrule." Link turned to Erin. "If he has the other two forces…"  
  
"He can activate the main portal from his side and attack en masse instead of piecemeal through the smaller gates. He'll be unstoppable!" Erin finished.  
  
"And I can't even get to him to try and stop him; we can't defeat that army all alone!"  
  
Erin looked over to the right where something had caught her eye. To one side of the expanse was a ridge, and she could've sworn she saw movement…  
  
"We may not have to face them alone, look!"  
  
Link looked over to where she was pointing, to see a second army reach the top of the ridge. But as Link looked among them, he didn't see any creatures of darkness. It was a combined force of Hylian, Goron and Gerudo warriors under the banner of the Triforce!  
  
"Quick, we have to get to them and tell them what is happening!" Link broke into a run, with Erin close behind. The army's scouts had seen them, and set out on horseback to pick them up. In a few minutes they re-joined with the main force, and were greeted by Riana.  
  
"Link, Erin, it is good to see you are well"  
  
"Riana! But how did you get here, how did you raise this army?" Link questioned  
  
"When Dark Link broke out of the wasteland, I sent several Gerudo to track his movements. We found out that he has been using a portal in Kakariko graveyard to move in and out of the Dark World. After you disappeared I went to Hyrule Castle to speak with your Chief advisor Leoniro. I found out from him that you had retrieved the Master Sword and been transported to the Dark World. Leoniro knew the locations of all the portals, and we sent message to the Gorons asking for help. Also, I rode back to Gerudo fortress to muster our best fighters and Leoniro did the same with the Hylian Guard. Once our joint force came together at Hyrule Castle, we used a portal Leoniro unsealed in the castle grounds to begin moving our troops through. We have been slowly massing our forces for the past few hours and now we are almost ready."  
  
"What about the Zora and the Kolkiri?"  
  
"They are organising a defence force back in Hyrule should we fail."  
  
"Good. Ganondorf is almost ready to launch his invasion, but he needs to extract the Force of Wisdom from Zelda before he can break the Sages Barrier on the main portal. If your army fights its way to the Pyramid entrance and holds it, the creatures will not be able to get to the main portal inside, even if Ganondorf does open it. I will be able to get inside and try to take out Ganondorf. Hopefully we can finish him and his army before they can attack."  
  
"Agreed. Good luck Link, and be careful. He will be stronger this time, and if he gets both the Forces of Wisdom and Power…"  
  
"Yeah, I know, even I won't be able to stop him. Looks like the fate of the world is on my shoulders. Again." Link sighed  
  
"There is no-one else Link. You are the Hero of Time. Have faith in who you are and you will triumph."  
  
"Yeah, I know. How long until we can make our move?"  
  
"We will be ready in about half an hour. Is there anything you need?"  
  
"No, I'll be fine."  
  
Link turned and walked though the fighters. They were going to be outnumbered, but not outfought. He reached the ridge and looked down. A slope lead down into the plain. This is where the final battle against Ganondorf would be fought. He had made a mistake last time, he had the beast Ganon on its knees, but instead of finishing it once and for all, he had trapped it in the Sacred Realm. And now it was the corrupted Dark World, and Link was going to pay for his mistake tenfold. This time there was no where to trap him, no where to lock him up and conveniently forget. This time, Ganondorf had to die. But it was going to be twice the battle it had been before, and Link was unsure. No. He shook all doubt from his mind. He would kill the King of Evil with his legendary blade, even if the price was his own life. Such was the way of the Hero.  
  
His train of thought was interrupted by Erin at his shoulder. They stood there together for a moment, neither sure how to approach the conversation. Eventually Erin broke the silence.  
  
"I don't suppose you can be talked put of this?"  
  
"No. This is my destiny. And anyway, why would you want to talk me out of it?"  
  
Erin blushed, quite uncharacteristically  
  
"I, I…" she faltered as her words failed her. She couldn't bring herself to confess her feelings. She stared at the ground, angry at embarrassing herself this way. Link turned his head towards her slightly. What was she getting at? He'd never seen her like this, did that mean…  
  
Erin found her voice again.  
  
"I just don't understand, you died, I mean, I thought you died, but you're back, and now you're just going to put your life on the line again? Doesn't your life mean anything to you?"  
  
"It means everything to me, but more important are the lives of others. I can't stand back and stay safe when I'm the only one that can make the difference. When I balance my life against the future of Hyrule, my life doesn't matter, only my actions."  
  
"It may not to you, but what about to your friends! There are people who care about you Link; Malon, Talon, Zelda, the Sages… and…" Erin closed her eyes and dropped her arms to her sides. "…and me, Link."  
  
Link didn't know what to do. She'd said it. She had actually said it. He forced himself to speak.  
  
"I didn't think that you felt the same way…"  
  
Erin opened her eyes, stunned. The same way?! Did he say that he felt the same way?  
  
"…ever since we started out on this journey something seemed different, but I didn't want to say anything, I couldn't…"  
  
They were opposite each other now, and for that moment in time nothing else existed. There was no Dark World, no army, no ridge, no nothing. Just them. They weren't warriors anymore, they were just a pair of teenagers coming to terms with feelings they had never experienced before. Link struggled on.  
  
"But I still have to do this. When it's all over, there won't be any threat from Ganondorf or the Dark World ever again. All his evil will be undone, Malon will get better and the invasion will be stopped and that is worth my life. All I can do now is fight."  
  
"Then try and fight this, Hero." Erin said, then leaned forward and kissed him.  
  
He couldn't. He wrapped his arms around her, their lips locked in passionate embrace that seemed like it would never end. But end it did, and Erin whispered to him;  
  
"I can't and won't try and stop you, because you are right; you have to do this." She looked into his eyes, filled with tears as hers were. "But I can damn well make you promise that you will come back to me alive. Promise me."  
  
Link held her tight and spoke to her softly  
  
"I promise. Because now I have the greatest reason of all to come back."  
  
And with that they embraced again, sweeter that the first in its sincerity and purity. They would look back on this moment in years to come and recall, in their darkest hour, in the heart of the Dark World, they found the light of love. The irony would never be lost.  
  
Again they parted. Again Link spoke.  
  
"It's time. I have to go."  
  
Erin nodded, leaving her pain unvoiced. How she wanted to kiss him again, to share that intimacy one more time, but she knew it would make the parting more painful.  
  
"Then I will fight alongside Riana and the others. I will wait for you, Link."  
  
Link began to speak, then realised that asking her to stay out of harms way would be hypocrisy. She was every bit as skilled a fighter as anyone else present, and they needed everyone they could get to win this fight. He simply hugged her, their eyes meeting one last time and then he turned away, not wanting to prolong the pain. He paused, and spoke over his shoulder;  
  
"I swear to you, I will return."  
  
She watched him walk away, then wiped away the tears. She knew that now was the time to be strong. The time for love would be when this whole ordeal was behind them. She followed him back to the main force, checking her equipment, sliding back into the role of warrior with practiced ease.  
  
Riana walked to meet Link.  
  
"We are ready."  
  
"Right, what's the plan?"  
  
"The first wave will be the Gorons, lead by Rocky, son of Dariuna." A large Goron stepped forward and nodded.  
  
"They will roll down the slope and crash into the enemies flank. The archers of the Hylian Guard will open fire, because their arrows will not harm the Gorons. Then I will lead the Gerudo Cavalry down on either side to secure the entrance to the pyramid, and then the Hylian Guard, under the command of Captain Tanner" The Captain stepped forward to greet him, not much older than Link himself.  
  
"…will cease fire and charge down the middle to back up the Gorons. We will try and force them back, away from the pyramid while you get inside. We brought Epona for you to ride."  
  
"I'll ride down just after the Gorons. If I go alone I will draw less attention and the enemy will have its hands full with the main force." He addressed the warriors  
  
"Anyone who makes it to the entrance, I will need you to come inside to rescue the Princess. I won't be able to get her out when I am fighting Ganondorf, so I need one of you to do it, in case the battle gets out of hand and she gets hurt. Ready?"  
  
Shouts of "Ready!" went up from the fighters. One of the Gerudo brought Epona over to Link, who leapt up into the saddle. He leaned forward and stroked Epona's mane and whispered;  
  
"Once I jump off, head for the portal buddy. This won't be pretty."  
  
Link could never tell if Epona understood him, but it seemed like it sometimes. Smart horse.  
  
The Gorons stepped forwards and curled up ready to roll, and the archers got ready to fire. Link trotted Epona along the front line to the middle, the fighters nodding and saluting as he passed. Link realised that they respected him. He drew the Master Sword from its scabbard and held it high for all to see. Along the line, the fighters held their weapons high and cheered. Link shouted;  
  
"For Hyrule! For Zelda! FOR THE TRIFORCE!!"  
  
As he was echoed by every voice present, he issued his last command.  
  
"ATTACK!" 


End file.
